Firing mechanism for small-arms.



E. LYTTON. FIRING MECHANISM FOR SMALL ARMS. APPLlc/Tlou man uw 21. |916.

1,240,068. I 'Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

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EDWARD LY'ITON, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

FIRNG MECHANISIVI FORr SMALL-ARMS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept.-11, 1917.-

' Application led July 21, 1916. Serial No. 110,561.

To all whom t may concern Belit known that L, EDWARD LYTTON, a

subject of the King of Great Britain, resid-r ing in London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firing' Mechanism4 for Small-Arms, of which the followingis a` specication.

Thisv invention relates to firing mechanismy for small armsand is designed to provide a firing or trigger arrangement which can be operated to fire or discharge the arm with the smallest eor't and without any tendency to throwI the sight off the target and which at the same time will be safe against any accidental' shock or jar to which the arml may be subjected.

Small'arms as at present constructed are iiredvor discharged by means of a trigger which on beingpulled releases a spring operated firing pin which makes impact against a cap inthe cartridge and causes it to explode and thus produce the firing of the bullet. yThe 4pulling'of suchv trigger requires a y certain amount of force and as the 'direction of the forcev to be applied is somewhat downwardfas welly as backward thel tendency is to throwthe sight of the arm ofi' the target and thus produce a bad aim. This difculty with the present form of trigger adds con siderably tothe time required for a man to become efficient in the use of, for instance a rifle, and it is vone aim of the present invention to reduce as muchas possible the timer required for such' training.

The invention consists essentially in a rf ing device having toggle means which, when maintained' at approximately the dead cen` ter position, are adapted to hold the iiring pin4 orother operative mechanism at cock and means for throwing the toggle off or over'the dead center when the arm is to be fired.

The invention'will be describedwith reference lto the accompanying drawings which show, byway of example and diagrammatikcally,hon,e application ofthe invention to a Figure 1'is' a longitudinall section through the iiring mechanismof the rifle.

Fig. 2 is asection yon line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a part section showing a modified arrangement.

Fig. el. is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a further modified arrangement.'y

In the drawings, a is the butt' of the rifle,

b is the magazine, c is the barrel, Zy is the p bolt, c is the striker or firing pin, and 7 is the spring for operatingthe firing pin, and Y these parts may be of any vordinary or suitable construction. p u

Beneath or adjacent'to the bolt lis ar ranged a stop g adapted to slide in a direction parallel to the firing pin c, say along the rod L; The stopg is secured to the vfree end of a'toggle y', the other endof which is pivoted on a fixed pivot 7c suitably mounted in the rifle, `and a spring Z is provided on the i rod it adapted` to force the stop g along the rod and `hold the toggle, j yin the extended or dead center position. The stop g engages a catch m, which mayor may not be a spring catch, on the iiringpin, and when the toggle j is in the dead center position holds the firing pin vat cock; When, however, the toggle is moved out of the dead centerposition for any reason, the spring f of the firing pin v being stronger than the spring Z of the stop, the firing pin is driven forward to' iire the gun.

To move the toggle out of or throughthe dead center positionk a pin, slide or the like n when the pin is moved endwiseto ,engage the toggle jy and push it out of the dead center position so as to release the firing pin, .and

`so effect the ring of the rifle.- The end of the pin'n preferably projects 'outinto av -countersunk or like recess on the'face of the rifle body, so as to prevent its release or operation through any accidentalengagement` and a spring o ,is vpreferably provided adapted 4to hold it pressedA outward in the non-operative position.

' To prevent any accidental shock, ar or the like releasing the firing pin, the pin orslide 'n is preferably provided with a safety catch p adapted to preventI theclosing ofthe .tog-

gle should'anysuch shock orjar vthrow it roo out of the dead center position, The face of the catch p is preferably inclined as shown to permit of the toggle When the firing pin is cocked taking the dead center po,`

-sition under the action of the spring Z.'

In the arrangementshown in Fig. 3 the. `stop g and slide 7L are dispensed with and the free end of the toggle is connected to a y rotary catch g adapted to engage the catch m on the rng pin and which must in this case be a spring'catch.` The catch g is provided With a spiral spring gzadapted to rotate it into the engaging position, that is the position lin `vvhich the toggle takes the eX- tended or dead Vcenter position. The operating pin or slide n may be of exactlyvidentical form tothat described above. In Figa,` another arrangement is shown l in Which` the togglemay .be set at the dead center, or cocked position, Without the use ofl a spring. In this arrangement the free endo'iE Vthe toggle y' is connected to a Wheel l g in a somewhat similar manner .as to the catch g lin Fig. 3. Upon the-periphery of the Wheel arearranged a series of teeth r yadapted tol enter a series of rack teeth s on the side of the iiring pin. In this arrangef ment it Willbe seen that when the firing pin is drawn back to the cocked position it Will rotatethe Wheel Q and cause thev toggle j to take the dead center position and lock the firing pin. When the toggle is lmoved out of the dead center position by the pin or slide n` which ymay be of exactly the same formas above described, the iiring pin is4 released and causes the rifle to be fired.

To further insure against accidental iiringy ofa Weapon the toggle j may if desired be caused at .the cocked position to slightly pass the deadcenter position to the opposite side to that at-zwhich it is released. A slide or s Weaponis tobe fired.

2. A firing device for small arms having toggle means which When maintained at apL the` dead center position are proximatelyv adapted to hold the firing pin yor other'ope'rative mechanism at cock and means for throwing the toggle oli:1 or over the dead cen# ter When the arm is to be fired. 3. yA lfiringvdevice for small arms, coml prisng togglemeansfor holdingthe iring pin or .the.like.at,cock, and a sliding mem-.

Afiring pin or the like fat .cock,.the said stop ber extending transversely across the body of the Weapon for releasing the toggle When the Weapon is to befired. v .v

4:..A ,iiring device for small arms, comprising a toggle lever, a ystop linked to the free end of said toggle lever and holding the being actuatedby tlieiiring pin to move the toggle lever out* of' its extended position lwhen the Weapon isred.

'5. A ring device for small arms, `comprising toggle means for holding the vfiring pin or the like at cock,.meansfor vreleasing the toggle When the Weapon is to be` red,

and, means for preventing the release of the l toggle by any shock orv jar, after it has been set. .Y

6. A firing device for smallarms comprising'a stop adapted to engagethering pin when atcock, a toggle adapted to holdj the' stop in the cocked positionwhen` it is in or approximates tothe deadcenter posi.- tion, means for releasing the toggle from the dead center position to re the yWeapon y.

and means for returning the toggle to the dead center position When the firing device is cocked. Y

7. A firing device for small armsvconiprising toggle means for holding the firing pin or the like at cock, means for releasing. the toggle when theweapon is-to be ired, comprising a pin or slide having an inclined` face adapted when it is moved endwise to f push the toggle out of sition. A n

3.7A` firing device for small arms comprising toggle means for holding the firing the dead center popin cr the like at cock, means for releasing the toggle When the Weapon is to be fired, comprising a pin or slide having an inclined,

face adapted When it is movedendvvise to push the toggle out of the dead center posi-V tion, and means for preventing the release of the toggle should the Weapon receive a shock orA jar consisting of-a catch on thev toggle releasing pin adapted normally to n prevent the release of the toggle.

9. A iring` device for small arms,lcom prising a ltoggle lever having one end ycon-` I. nected to the body of the Weapon, a rotary stop linked to the other end of saidtoggle lever and adapted to hold thepirng-pin` in, the cocked position, and a slidingv memberl to be fired. 10. A ring devicel for small varms-com-` prising a toggle, a rotary stop adapted td for releasing the toggle When the Weapon-is hold the firing pin inthe cocked positiom-j when the toggle is in the dead center posil tion, means for releasing the toggle when to rotate the stopj into the 'engaging Aposition afterthe Weaponlhas been fired.l .l

' the Weapon isto be fired, and means `adapted l` rotary stop being adapted to return the toggie to the dead center position when the firing pin is drawn back to be set at cock.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciication in the presence of l5 two. subscribing Witnesses.

EDWARD LYTTON. Witnesses:

JOSEPH WILLARD,

W. J. SKERTEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, ID. C. 

